Latching mechanism for vacuum cleaner



Aug. 18, 1970 o. a. SPENCER LATCHING MECHANISM FOR VACUUM CLEANER Filed April 3. 1968 5 Sheets-Shed 1 INVENTOR.

DONALD B. SPENCER BALDWIN, EGAN, WALLING &F ETZER I ATTORNEYS Aug. 18, 1970 D. a. SPENCER LATCHING MECHANISM FOR VACUUM CLEANER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1968 INVENTOR. DONALD B. SPENCER BY BALDWIN, EGAN, WALLING &FETZER ATTORNEYS Aug. 18, 1970 0. 3. SPENCER ,2

LATCHING MECHANISM FOR VACUUM CLEANER Filed April 5, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

DONALD B. SPENCER BY BALDWIN, EGAN WALLING & FETZER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,524,212 LATCHING MECHANISM FOR VACUUM CLEANER Donald B. Spencer, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Haley Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 718,587 t Int. Cl. A471 /00 US. Cl. -327 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vacuum cleaner of the canister type comprising a casing, having a dust separator opening therein with a dust separator ring of a dust bag seated in the opening, and a closure member for said opening adapted to seat in said opening and compress the dust separator ring between the closure member and the casing, and a latch of a toggle-like type mounted on the casing and having a hook portion coacting with the closure member to hold the closure member against the dust sealing ring. The latch is pivoted to the casing by means of a fulcrum support comprising a base member secured to the casing and a movable outer member adjustably mounted on the base member. The outer and base members of the support have confronting serrated surfaces, so that the outer fulcrum member is securely interlocked in a vertical direction with respect to the base member when the members are releasably secured together by a threaded fastener. This provides an expeditious means for taking up slack that may occur between the closure and the casing for maintaining an air-tight juncture between the closure member and the dust separator ring.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to vacuum cleaners of the enclosed bag type having a quickly detachable latching mechanism for removably securing one part of a vacuum cleaner to another part thereof, and especially securing thecover or closure member for the dust separator opening of the vacuum cleaner to the casing thereof.

In canister-type vacuum cleaners, the casing conventionally has a dust separator opening therein in which is mounted a dust bag with a cover closing the opening and clamping the bag in the casing in an air-tight condition. The dust bag must be emptied after reasonable use, and to expedite the removal and reassembly of the dust bag in the casing, it is desirable that a conveniently operated, quickly detachable latch mechanism be provided for clamping the cover or closure member in position on the casing, and against the dust separator ring of the dust bag. As wear occurs between the parts, the latching mechanism may not tightly urge the cover into engagement with the sealing ring of the dust bag. Also, sometimes due to variation in thicknesses of the parts in the manufacturing process, the cover originally may not securely engage the dust bag sealing ring, and thus leakage may occur between the cover and the casing, decreasing the efficiency of the vacuum cleaner.

The present invention provides a novel latching arrangement for a vacuum cleaner for coupling one part of the cleaner to another, and wherein the latching mechanism includes support means for conveniently adjusting 3,524,212 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 the position of the latch as mounted on one of the parts, with respect to the other part which is adapted to be latched by the latching mechanism, so that if the latched part, such as for instance the cover for the dust opening, does not securely engage the conventional dust bag ring in the opening, the support means for the latching mechanism can be moved with respect to the casing of the vacuum cleaner to provide for a tight latching coaction of the latch with the cover.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel, quickly detachable latching means for clamping parts of a vacuum cleaner firmly together, with the latching means being so constructed and arranged as to provide for wear and/or variation in thickness of parts due to manufacturing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a latching mechanism of the above discussed type wherein the latch means comprises a toggle-like latching mechanism pivoted to a fulcrum support on one part of the vacuum cleaner, such as for instance, the casing of a canister-type vacuum cleaner, and wherein means is provided for readily ad justing the position of the fulcrum support with respect to the vacuum cleaner casing, to thus provide for varying the position of the latching mechanism with respect to the part to be latched, such as for instance, the cover for the conventional dust separator opening in the casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a latching mechanism of the aforediscussed type wherein the fulcrum support comprises an outer bracket member having pivot means thereon pivoting the latch to the casing of the vacuum cleaner, and also having a serrated surface which is adapted for coaction with a serrated surface on a confronting fulcrum base member, for securely holding the fulcrum bracket member to the fulcrum base member against relative vertical movement in the juxtapositional condition of the members, and wherein the bracket member has a vertically elongated slot therein receiving fastening means therethrough, which fastening means is adapted to hold the bracket member in predetermined vertical position with respect to the associated fulcrum base member.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a vacuum cleaner of the canister-type embodying the latching mechanism of the invention, with the vacuum cleaner being connected as by means of a flexible hose to a wand, which in turn is attached to a cleaning tool;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, elevational, partially sectional fragmentary view of the canister-type vacuum cleaner illustrating the closure member or cover for the dust bag opening therein, and engaging the sealing ring of the dust bag in tight coaction and illustrating the latching mechanism in operative position to latch the closure member to the casing of the vacuum cleaner, thus holding the cover in tight sealing relationship with the dust bag sealing ring;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the vacuum cleaner body taken generally along the plane of line 33 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows. The flexible hose has been removed from the FIG. 3 illustration;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary generally top plan view of the closure member of the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the latching mechanism in deactivated condition;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front elevational view of the hook portion of the latching mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the hook portion of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the lower handle portion of the latch mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the handle portion of FIG. 8 taken from the right-hand side of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the outer fulcrum bracket member of the support for mounting the latching mechanism on the casing of the vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view taken generally along the plane of line 11-11 of FIG. 10 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of the fulcrum base member of the support, and which is adapted to receive in engaged relation the fulcrum bracket member of FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIG. 13 is a partially broken, side elevational view of the FIG. 12 base portion;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the casing of the vacuum cleaner body and illustrating the Y recess in which is adapted to be mounted the latch support and the latch mechanism of FIGS. 6 through 13;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary top plan view of the vacuum cleaner casing showing the recess therein of FIG. 14.

Referring now again to the drawings, there is illustrated a canister-type vacuum cleaner 10 comprising a body which forms a casing 12 for suction-creating means, such as a combined fan and motor (not shown), and a dust separator means, such as a duct bag or dirt-collecting receptacle, indicated generally at 13 (FIG. 2) mounted in the casing. The casing is provided with a circular (in the embodiment illustrated) opening 14 in which is adapted to be disposed the dust bag separating means, with such dust bag conventionally having a resilient ring 16 which is mounted on a circular flange 18 defining the opening 14.

A closure member or cover 20 is provided, with such cover member, in the embodiment illustrated, being pivoted as at 22 to the vacuum cleaner casing. The cover has a circular flange 24 thereon projecting from the underside thereof, which is adapted to engage the resilient sealing ring 16 and seal the cover with respect to the casing and the intermediate sealing ring.

The cover has an opening 26 therethrough which is adapted to receive a conventional flexible hose 28 (FIG. 1) which, in turn, is adapted for coupling to a wand 30 attached to a cleaning tool 32 for cleaning a surface. The vacuum cleaner 10 is adapted to be pulled along the floor by an operator moving the Wand 30 and thus pulling the vacuum cleaner body via the hose 28 along the floor or surface being cleaned.

A latching mechanism 32 is provided for securely latching the cover 20 to the casing, to maintain an air-tight relationship between the cover and the casing via the sealing ring 16. Such latching mechanism comprises a togglelike latch including an upper hook portion 34 and a lower handle portion 36. The hook portion includes side sections 34a disposed at generally right angles to the curved central section 34b of the hook portion. The hook portion has openings 38 through the side sections 34a adapted to receive a pivot rivet or pin 39 (FIG. 2) for pivoting the hook portion to the handle portion 36 as will be hereinafter described.

The latch is mounted on the casing of the vacuum cleaner body by means of a pivot support 42 (FIGS. 10 and 12). The support 42 comprises an outer fulcrum member or bracket 42a and an inner fulcrum base member 42b. Base member 42b has a vertically extending, generally centrally arranged slot 44 therein and an opening 46 extending through the base member and communicating at its forward end with the front surface of the slot 44 and at its rearward end with the rear face of the base member 42b. The forwardly facing surface of slot 44 may be serrated as at 48 with generally horizontally extending tooth serrations, and as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The casing 12 of the body of the vacuum cleaner has a recess 50 (FIG. 14) formed therein which receives the fulcrum base member 42b. The sides of recess 50 may be tapered in a downward direction, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, for receiving the base member 42b of the support, the sides of the latter being complementary tapered as at 51 for being supported in predetermined position in recess 50. A hollow rivet 52, or some other suitable fastening means, may be provided for rigidly securing the fulcrum basemember 42b in slot 50 and to the forwardly facing surface 53 of the slot 50. The opening through the hollow rivet 52 may be threaded for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

The outer fulcrum member 42a may be of generally inverted and reversed L-shaped configuration in side elevation, and comprises an upper lug portion 54 having a pivot opening 54a extending generally horizontally therethrough. The rear surface of the outer fulcrum member 42a may be serrated as at 56, generally complementary to the serrations 48 formed on the base fulcrum member 42b. Member 42a is adapted to be received in the slot 44 in the base fulcrum member with the serrations 56 on the outer fulcrum member 42a coacting with the serrations 48 on the base fulcrum member 42b to interlock the outer and base fulcrum members against relative vertical movement with respect to one another in the juxtaposed position of the outer fulcrum member in the slot 44 of the base member. An elongated opening 58 is provided in the outer fulcrum member, and a headed fastener, such as threaded nut 60 (FIG. 2), tightly secures the outer fulcrum member to the base fulcrum member. Fastener 60 passes through the vertically elongated slot 58 in the outer fulcrum member and coacts in threaded relation with the aforementioned rivet 52.

The latch handle portion 36 of the latch comprises generally upstanding ear portions 62 which receive therebetween the lug portion 54 of the outer fulcrum member 42a of the latch support. A pin 63 extending through openings 64 in the latch handle ears and opening 54a in the outer fulcrum member 42:: pivots the latch handle to the fulcrum support. The aforementioned pin or rivet 39'extending through openings 38 in side sections 34a of the hook portion of the latch and through aligned openings 66 in the latch handle portion pivotally secures the hook portion 34 to the handle portion 36.

The closure or cover member 20 of the vacuum cleaner has a recess 68 (FIG. 4) formed therein and defining an inwardly sloping boss portion 68a (FIG. 2) which embossment is adapted for coaction with the upper end of the hook portion 34 of the latch, for latching the cover to the casing of the vacuum cleaner and against the sealing ring 16. As can be seen in FIG. 2, when the latch is in operative position on the vacuum cleaner, the pivot 39 between the handle and hook portions of the latch is disposed inwardly of a vertical plane passing through the pivot 63 between the handle portion and the latch support, and, due to the resistance to compression of the sealing ring 16, the latch is maintained in operative latched condition. To deactivate the latch, the handle portion may be grasped adjacent its bottom end and swung outwardly about its pivot 63 thereby swinging the pivot 39 between the handle and hook portions outwardly beyond the aforesaid vertical plane (FIG. 5) thus releasing the holding action of the latch.

It will be understood that as wear occurs between the parts, and the resistance to compression of the sealing ring 16 decreases, the holding coaction of the latch with the cover may likewise diminish. Accordingly, by merely loosening up on the slotted fastener 60, and disengaging the holding coaction between the serrations 56 and 48 on respectively the outer fulcrum member and the base member of the latch support, and then moving the outer fulcrum member 42a downwardly, and then retightening the fastener 60, the position of the latch with respect to the casing of the vacuum cleaner is likewise moved downwardly, thereby once again providing for a good latching coaction between the latch and the cover, and thus insuring that the cover will be maintained in tight sealed relation with the dust removing means 13 at all times. It will also be understood that, if in initial assembly of the parts there is looseness due to manufacturing tolerances, the latch can always be assembled so as to give a good latching coaction between the cover and the casing by vertically adjusting the position of outer fulcrum member 42a with respect to the inner base member 421;, thus insuring proper and efiicient operation of the vacuum cleaner. It will be seen that the elongated slot 58v in the outer fulcrum member permits ready vertical movement of the outer fulcrum member with respect to the fastener upon loosening of the latter and separation of the coacting serrations, and that the side surfaces defining therecess 44 in the fulcrum base member guide the adjusting movement of the outer fulcrum member with respect to the base member.

From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the invention provides a quickly detachable latching mechanism for removably securing one part of a vacuum cleaner to another part thereof, and especially securing the closure member of the vacuum cleaner to the casing, and a latching mechanism which can be easily adjusted to compensate for wear between the parts or compensate for variations in manufacturing tolerances between the parts, and wherein the latch support is effective to securely mount the latching mechanism on the vacuum cleaner after adjustment thereof.

The terms and expressions which have been used are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of any of the features shown or described, or portions thereof, and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. 1

What is claimed is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing formed with an opening, a closure for said opening, latch means movable to engage said closure for securing said closure to said casing, support means movably mounting said latch means on said casing, said support means including means for adjusting the position of said latch means with respect to said closure and said casing, said support means comprising an outer fulcrum member and an inner fulcrum base member, said members comprising said means for adjusting the position of said latch means with respect to said closure and said casing, said base member being secured to said casing and means coacting between said outer member and said base member securing said outer member in selected position in a vertical direction with respect to said base member, and wherein said fulcrum outer member and said fulcrum base member having generally transversely extending serrations disposed on confronting surfaces thereof, said serrations being disposed in engaging coaction with one another to lock the outer member to the base member against vertical movement with respect thereto.

2. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1, wherein said latch means comprises. a hook portion engageable in clamping relation with said closure and a handle portion, said hook portion being pivoted to said handle portion, and said handle portion being pivoted to said support means, the pivot point between said hook and handle portions being adapted to be disposed inwardly of a vertical plane passing through the pivot point between said handle portion and said support means in the latched condition of said latch means.

3. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 2, wherein said handle portion is of elongated configuration and having pivot means at its upper end pivoting said handle portion to said support means, and said hook portion having pivot means adjacent its lower end pivoting said hook portion to said handle portion approximately midway of said handle portion in the lengthwise direction thereof.

4. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 2, wherein said closure is pivoted to said casing, said closure having an opening therein adapted to receive a hose for communicating with the interior of said casing, said closure having a recess with an embossment in said recess, said hook portion adapted to be received in said recess in interlocking coaction with said embossment for securing said closure to said casing.

5. A vacuum cleaner. in accordance with claim 1 wherein said casing comprises a generally vertically oriented recess therein opening onto the exterior of said casing, said base member being disposed in said recess and fixed to said casing, said outer member being disposed in said recess in engaged relation with said base member, said means securing said outer member in selected position with respect to said base member comprising a threaded fastener extending outwardly from said base member and through a vertically elongated slot in said outer member, said fastener having a" head portion accessible from exteriorly of said outer member in said recess for selective adjustment in a vertical direction of said outer member with respect to said base member.

6. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 5 wherein said base member. in the outwardly facing surface thereof comprises a generally vertically oriented slot therein of a crosswise dimension of approximately the crosswise dimension of said outer member, the latter being received in the last mentioned slot in nested relation, with the serrations on said outer and base members coacting in holding relation in the tightened condition of said threaded fastener.

7. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 5 wherein said base member is secured to said casing by a hollow rivet threaded on the interior surface thereof, said fastener coacting with said threaded rivet for holding said outer member in abutting relation with said base member.

8. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing for-med with an opening, a closure for said opening, latch means movable to engage said closure for securing said closure to said casing, and support means movably mounting said latch means on said casing, said support means including means for adjusting the position of said latch means with respect to said closure and said casing, said support means comprising a fulcrum bracket pivoting said latch means thereon, and releasable fastening means clamping said bracket to said casing, said bracket being movable vertically to adjust the position of the latter with respect to said casing upon deactivation of said fastening means, and means including transversely extending serrations on said bracket for locking the bracket in selected vertical position with respect to said casing.

9. A latching mechanism adapted for mounting on the casing of a canister-type vacuum cleaner for securing a closure for the dust separator opening, to the casing, said latching mechanism comprising a toggle-like latch including a hook portion adapted for clamping coaction with the closure and a handle portion, means pivoting said hook portion to said handle portion, and a support adapted for attachment to the casing for mounting the latch on the casing, said support comprising an outer fulcrum member and a base member, said outer member having means thereon pivoting said handle portion to said outer member in spaced relation to the pivoted connection of said hook portion to said handle portion, said base member being adapted for attachment to said casing, and means coacting between said outer and base members for selectively adjusting the position in a vertical direction of said outer member with respect to said base member, and wherein the last mentioned means includes transversely extending serrations on confronting surfaces of said outer and base members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,898,742 2/1933 Phillips 292113 X 8. 2,328,003 8/1943 Gardes 2921 14 2,347,919 5/ 1944 Lofgren 292-113 2,839,775 6/1958 Hansen 15-323 5 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

